Ryan's gambling harm health bill lapsed without a vote
Dr Monique Ryan wanted the Australian Centre for Disease Control to study the harm gambling does to health. It would also give advice on it. The bill was dropped from the House's to-do list in September 2026.
Official name: Australian Centre for Disease Control Amendment (Gambling as a Public Health Issue) Bill 2026
- The bill would have added gambling harm and addiction to the law's list of public health topics.
- The Australian Centre for Disease Control could then share facts and give advice on gambling harm.
- Its notes say it would have cost nothing.
- It was dropped from the House's to-do list on 15 September 2026 without a vote.
Who it affects
- People harmed by gambling and their families: The national disease centre could have studied and shared advice on the harm they face.
- The Australian Centre for Disease Control: It would have had clear power to treat gambling harm as a health issue.
- Governments and health workers: They could have got formal advice from the centre on how gambling affects health.
Gambling missing from health list
The Australian Centre for Disease Control is a national body. It gathers data and gives advice on public health. Public health means the health of the whole community. The centre was set up by the Australian Centre for Disease Control Act 2025.
That law has a list of "public health matters" the centre can work on. The list includes health and the environment. It includes the health effects of climate change. It does not include gambling.
The notes that explain the bill say gambling can lead to mental ill-health. They say it raises the risk of drug and alcohol abuse. They say it can even lead to suicide. Dr Ryan wanted the law to treat gambling harm as a public health issue. She did not want it seen only as a matter of personal choice.
Who brought it
This was a private bill. That means it did not come from the government. Dr Monique Ryan MP brought it into the House of Representatives, the lower house of Parliament, on 2 March 2026. The source papers do not state her party.
Adding gambling to the list
The bill made one change. It would have added a new item to the list of public health matters. The item reads "the health impacts of gambling harm and addiction, including financial distress, mental health impacts, and the impacts on families and communities".
The notes say this would let the centre's Director-General share facts about gambling harm. The Director-General is the person who runs the centre. They could also give advice on it. That advice could go to ministers and government agencies. It could go to state and territory governments, and to groups that speak for health workers.
Say a state government is planning new rules for poker machines. Under this bill, it could ask the national centre for advice. The centre could say how gambling affects health in local communities.
Cost and start date
The notes say the bill would have cost nothing.
It would have started the day after it became law. A bill becomes law when the Governor-General signs it. The Governor-General stands in for the King.
Dropped after time ran out
Dr Ryan brought in the bill on 2 March 2026. The debate on its main idea began that day.
The bill was not debated again. On 15 September 2026 it was dropped from Parliament's to-do list. A House rule clears out private bills that sit untouched for a set time.
That means the bill will not become law unless someone brings it back.
Its journey through Parliament
| 02 Mar 2026 | House of Representatives: Introduced and read a first time |
| 02 Mar 2026 | House of Representatives: Second reading moved |
| 15 Sep 2026 | House of Representatives: Removed from the Notice Paper in accordance with (SO 42) |